A Bengali word so soft, Abhhiman, which has no English equivalent, is nothing close to anger or grudge, but something very personal. That's what director Indraadip Dasgupta explored in his film. While the teaser/trailer might hint at a different sory, of a woman torn between two men, the film actually talks of relationships beyond lovers. And we thought in and around Father's Day was a great time to release the story.
Firstly definitely the performances. And in slow-burn movies like this, the actors are the ones who hold the fort. Prosenjit definitely has absorbed the most from Soumitra Chattopadhyay's character in Mayurakshi, as he had mentioned in an exclusive interview with us, but the hand tremor that he showed while about to give an autograph, felt absolutely unreal. The younger Akash Chatterjee looked familiar...the airs of a superstar, yet the vulnerability of a father who can't comee to terms with the fact that he had to leave his family, especially his son, Ador!
Subhashree Ganguly as Shree was rightly appropriate, not more, nor less. The softness of a caregiver, of a girlfriend, putting up a strong, straight face when needed, but breaking down when hurt, all fell into places. And we feel she is evolving with every film. And that scene when she faces her father made all of us well up.
But we felt Jisshu U Sengupta as Rishi, aka Ador, has outdone himself, reminding us yet again how underutilised and typified Bollywood has made him. His chemistry with not Shree but Akash, his father, will be long remembered. His abhhiman felt so, so real...and at times heartwrenching. And his character is also reminder to all the men out there, you need not hide your tears...you can be vulnerable and emotional too.
Sohini Sarkar as Darshana, Ador's mother was very good. The character, though had a small-ish screen presence, was well-written and was wound with the script very intrinsically. Kanchan Mullick, yet again, proved his mettle and hats off to the cinematographer Pratip Mukherjee for capturing that frame when Kanchan's character sees through the window pane and identifies Rishi as Chhoto. That short scene and the conversation they had then, heart melting.
And of course, the symbols, the frames and music are just mere accompaniments in the film, all are separate characters and have distinguished roles to play.
Ananya Banerjee's character felt forced, a little backstory was needed, but nothing was told except a few dialogues with Subhashree. Even Aloke Sanyal, as Subhashree's father's friend, felt a little unnecessary. Also, while the dilapidated house, hospital and the small town Nishchintopur sounds old and much away from the city life, the streets where Rishi and Shree fight over a small issue, or Shree faces the local goons who had been catcalling them, seemed to be a misfit.
However, if you love to watch films that will make you think deeply, and just not for entertainment purposes only, watch this film.
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